Oh That Voodoo That You Do

This tale begins in 1896 at the Key West home of Mr. And Mrs. Thomas Otto. The Otto's were cruel people and had a reputation for mistreating their servants. One servant, a Bahamian maid well versed in the ways of voodoo, took care of the couple’s young son, Robert Eugene Otto (Gene). One day she decided to get back at the Otto family for her mistreatment and presented four-year-old Gene with a cursed doll named Robert. The straw-stuffed toy stood three feet tall and bore an amazing resemblance to Gene.

Robert and Gene became constant playmates, but soon, Gene realized Robert was more than a doll. He was alive and filled with evil energy. Gene often spoke to Robert, but when a sinister entity started answering the young boy, the Otto’s became increasingly concerned, especially when strange things began to happen.

Robert seemed to enjoy terrifying the neighbors by running about the house in front of the windows when the family was gone. The Otto's could hear small slippered feet scampering across the second story floorboards, accompanied by gruesome giggles, in the wee hours of the night.

Gene, paralyzed from the night terrors inflicted by Robert would scream in terror as he huddled at the head of the bed with Robert glaring at the terrified little boy. Upon entering their son's room, they would find furniture tossed about like so many playthings, and every time, in a stammering voice, Gene would exclaim, "Robert did it!" Soon, the doll was exiled to the attic.

When Gene's parents died, Gene inherited the family home and soon rediscovered his old friend. Soon, Robert’s hold on Gene became terrifyingly strong. As an adult, Gene became a celebrated artist in Key West and his fame and wealth grew. Gene married and he and his new bride Anne moved into the family home where Gene’s wife quickly came to dislike the doll known as Robert. In fact, she was so fearful that when she looked at him she would flee the room in horror.

Anne could not understand Gene’s obsession with the doll. Nevertheless, because she loved her husband she humored him and even gave Robert his own room, once again, in the attic. One day Gene told his wife that Robert was very unhappy and demanded a room with a view. Anne questioned her husband, “The doll is demanding a room with a view?”

Over his wife’s objections, Gene moved Robert out of the attic down to the turret room. Robert sat at the window overlooking the street. Children on their way to school reported seeing him moving about the room glaring down at them. Inside the house, Gene became increasingly irrational and violent. He often lashed out in fits of rage, throwing things and striking out at his wife. Every time he would say the same thing, “It was Robert.”

One day a plumber, working alone in the turret room, fled the house in terror. When asked why, he said he had heard Robert giggling, but there was nothing happy or joyous about the sounds coming from the doll. The sounds were wicked, evil noises that grated on the poor man like fingers scratching a chalkboard.

Gene became increasingly despondent over the next few years. One day, out of the blue, he locked himself in the turret room and died, with Robert at his side. Anne fled the house leaving the doll behind in the attic. Instead of selling her husband’s family home, she decided to lease it and in the lease stipulated that Robert be the sole occupant of the attic.

The 10-year-old daughter of the new tenants soon discovered Robert, and once again, horrible things began to happen. One evening the little girl ran into her parent’s bedroom hysterical, claiming the doll tortured her. The little girl’s parents often heard footsteps in the attic but did not mention this to their daughter for fear of scaring her. They believed their daughter and knew in their hearts that the doll was evil. The little girl, now an adult, steadfastly claims, "the doll was alive and wanted to kill me."

If you want to visit Robert, you can...

Robert, still dressed in his white sailor's suit, clutching his stuffed lion, lives quite comfortably, though well guarded, at the Key West Martello Museum.

When Robert first arrived at his current home in the museum he was not in an enclosure and on several occasions, the museum staff would find Robert in a different position, even a different location, then where they had left him the night before. His feet have been covered in dirt and dust as if he had been running around the museum all night.

Robert takes on different expressions and makes certain people feel lightheaded when they are near the case. Is this the result of a manipulation of energy? One museum employee wanted to take a picture of Robert and went to remove his hat. He reports the doll looked angry. The employee removed the hat and tried to take the picture, but his camera would not work. When he replaced the hat, the camera immediately clicked off four pictures.

Robert currently resides behind glass, a jail of sorts, keeping him out of mischief. Near his case hangs a sign warning visitors that taking Robert's picture without asking his permission first, can result in damaged film and cameras. Unfortunate accidents have also been blamed on Robert, including one man visiting from Buffalo, NY who refused to ask Robert’s permission before snapping his picture and upon his return home, dropped dead.

According to reports, Robert still haunts the attic of the Artist's House, as does Anne's spirit, forever trapped with Robert,  proving, “Be careful of the objects you possess or one day they may wind up possessing you”.